Submarine escapement apparatus



J. E. MARTIN ET AL SUBMARINE ESCAPEMENT APPARATUS April 15, 1930.

Filed Febfle, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet INVENTORS April 15,

1 J. E. MARTIN ET AL SUBMARINE ESCAPEMENT APPARATUS Filed Feb. 16, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,April 15, 1930. J MARTIN ET AL 1,754,690

SUBMARINE ESGAPEMENT APPARATUS Filed Feb. 16, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEYS,

April 15, 1930.

J. MARTIN ET AL SUBMARINE ESCAPEMENT APPARATUS Filed Feb. 16, 1928 V '4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTOFIQNEYS Patented Apr. 15, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH E. MARTIN AND PERCIVAL A. MARTIN, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY .SUBMARINE ESCAPEMENT APPARATUS Application filed February 16, 1928. Serial No. 254,723.

This invention relates to apparatus for permitting the exit or escape of the occupants from a submarine vessel while submerged, particularly when life is endangered by sinking and disablement of the vessel below the surface.

In general the invention relates to apparatus of the character described wherein a water-tight escapement housing or receptacle for a person or several persons is normally located within a water-tight chamber in the submarine vessel, entrance to which is had from the interior of the vessel and which has a normally closed aperture to communicats with the sea through which said housing or casing is ejected by water let into said chamber after said housing containing air at normal or atmospheric pressure has been closed.

One object of the invention is to provide such an escapement apparatus for submarines embodying novel and improved features of construction whereby a large number of said escapementhousings or receptacles can be arranged in compactly packed and nested relation within said chamber so as to occupy a small amount of space.

Further objects are to provide novel and improved means operable from within the 0 vessel or from said chamber for admitting waterto said chamber and for draining the water from said chamber after the ejection ofeach escape housing therefrom, and to provide normallyopen means for. draining water from said escape housings at the same time that the water is drained from said chamber.

Other objects are to provide novel and improved watertight covers for said escape housings and locking means therefor, and to obtain other advantages and results as will be brought out by the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which corresponding and like parts are designated throughout the several views by the same reference characters,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a submarine vessel having an escapement apparatus embodying our invention applied thereto, showing the apparatus in operation.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the submarine vessel.

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, portions of the Water tank escapement chamber .55 being shown in section.

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view through the lower portion of the escapement chamber and two of the escapement housings.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through the upper edge of one of the escapement housings showing the cover locking mechanism.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the parts illustrated in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 5, showing the cover secured to the body of the housing by said locking means.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on the line 88 of Figure 7 and Figure 9 is a schematic side elevation of a modification of the invention.

Specifically describing the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the reference character A designates the top deck or surface of the hull of a submarine vessel, and the ceiling or top of an interior compartment of the ves sel is designated B. Within said compartment is arranged a water-tight escapement chamber C which includes a portion 1 which serves as a storage compartment for the body portions 2 of a plurality of escapement housings. The water-tight chamber C also 55 includes another portion 3, in which are stored covers 4-. for the body portions 2 of the escapement housings.

The water-tight escapement chamber C also has an aperture 5 which opens through the 99 exterior of the hull of the vessel and which has a cover or closure 6 hingedly connected at 7 to the side of the escapement chamber C and normally closed by gravity and bythe difference in pressure of the Water on the eX- terior of the vessel and the air or water on the interior of the escapement chamber C. The cover is provided. with suitable packing 8 to provide a water-tight lit with the top of the escapement chamber C. This aperture 5 is of sufficient size to permit the escapement housings to pass therethrough.

The escapement chamber C also has in one side thereof a man-hole 9 having a cover 10 held in closed position by clamps 11 of known construction which are operable both from within the interior compartment 13 of the vessel and the interior of the escapement chamber C, said cover being hingedly connected at 12 to the wall of the escapement chamber. This man-hole permits occupants of the ves sel to pass from within the vessel. into the escapment chamber. An opening 13 through the hull of the vessel communicates with the interior of the escapement chamber C, and is controlled by valves 14 and 15 which are op erable from either the interior of the vessel or within the chamber C. These valves and the opening 13 control the flow of sea water from outside the vessel into the chamber C. It is obvious that the valve may be of any suitable construct-ion and accordingly no de tails are illustrated.

Each of the escapement housings includes a substantially frusto-conical cup shaped body portion 2 of sufiicient size to receive one or more persons, and the body portions are arranged in nested relation as shown in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings so that a maximum number of body portions may be stored within a small amount of space and in substantially superimposed relation. At the upper edge of each body portion 2 is arranged an annular guide 16 for a lock actuating ring 17 which is adapted to be rotated in o posite directions by a pinion 18 pivoted on t e guide 16 as at 19 and actuated by a handle 20, said pinion meshing with a rack bar 21 secured to the edge of the lock actuating ring 17. Within the guide 16 at spaced points circumfercntially are a plurality of locking bolts 22, each of which has a head 23 to pass through keyhole slots 24 in a flange 25 on the edge of the escapement housing cover 4. Each bolt also has a transverse slot 26 with which cooperates a cam lug 27 fast to the loci: actuating ring 17. The bolts 22 are longitudinally movable and normally thelock actuating ring 17 is so positioned as to force the bolts 22 upwardly by cam action of the cam lugs 27 in the slots 26. In applying a cover to the body portion 2, the flange 25 of the cover is brought down over the bolts 22, the heads passing through the large portions 28 of the key-hole slots, after which the cover is rotated to bring the shank of the bolts into the narrow portions 29 of the key-hole slots. The actuating ring 17 is then rotated by swin ing the handle 20 which through the cam ugs 27 draws the bolts downwardly so as to force the cover into tight engagement with the edge of the body portion 2. A packing ring 30 is arranged on the edge of the body portion 2 to make a water-tight connection between the cover and the body portion.

ach of the covers has a hand-hole 31, which may have a water-tight fitting cover as does the man-hole 9, and the cover 4 also has a plurality of windows 32 for observation purposes. A valve 33 is also provided to admit air to the interior of the escapement housing.

In the bottom of each of the escapement housings is a packed opening 34 to receive a rod 35 which may be used for pushing the escapement housing upward if necessary. Each housing also has a hinged plate 36 normally overlying the corresponding opening 3%. A drain valve 37 is also provided in the bottom of each body portion to permit Water to drain therefrom.

Should the submarine vessel become disabled under the water and escape therefrom be desirable, the occupants of the vessel may remove the man-hole cover 10 and enter into the escapement chamber C from which they step into the uppermost escapement housing body portion 2 after closing the man-hole 9. The drain valve 37 is then closed. The uppermost cover 4 is then removed from the stack and secured to the top of the body portion 2 as above described. lVater from the sea is then admitted through the passage 13 and valves 14 and 15 into the escapement chamber C, whereupon the escapement housing is caused to float upwardly in said chamber;

When the pressure of the water inside the chamber balances the pressure of the outside water, the closure or cover 6 for the aperture 5 automatically opens, and preferably a counterweight 39 is provided for influencing this opening. Obviously, the buoyancy of the escapement housing will. also assist in opening said closure 6. Should the door not be opened in this way it may be manually opened by a handle 40 depending into the interior of the vessel. The buoyant escapement housing then quickly rises through the aperture 5 an d upwardly to the surface of the water. air inlet valve 33 may then be opened to admit air into the housing, and observations may be made through the windows 32. Vessels on the surface of the water may sight the escapement housing, and for rescuing the occupants thereof, the cover may be ren'ioved by the occupants or the cover of the handhole 31 may be opened from the exterior to permit actuation of the cover locking mechanism from the outside of the housing. After the first escapement housing has been thus ejected the water is drained from the chamber C through the drain valve ll. If the interior of the vessel is suliicicntly large to prevent the same from being flooded, the water may be drained directly into the vessel, but if the interior of the vessel is too small and such draining of the water would flood it, the water may be pumped from the chamber G into an auxiliary tank as hereinafter described. As the water is so drained from the escapement chamber C, the cover 6 of the aperture 5 is closed by the difference of pressure between the water outside the vessel and the water on the inside of the chamber C, or by the handle 40. The remaining occupants may escape in the same manner, as many entering each escapement housing as the same will contain.

Should the vessel be listed to one side or the other so that the escapement housings bind upon the sides of the chamber C, the rods 35 may be utilized for pushing the escapement housings outwardly. The rods are preferably made in sections and the sections are arranged within the escapement chamber C around the housing shown in Figure 4. Preferably each section has an opening 42 to removably receive a transverse pin 43 which may serve as a handle and prevents the rod from falling through the opening 34. It desired, a handle 44 may be utilized. In the ejection of all of the escapement housings except the last, the lower end of the rod 35 will bear upon the plate 36 of the next lower hous ing, as shown in Figure 4 of the drawing, while in the last housing the rod will bear upon the bottom of the escapement chamber. To push the housing outwardly with. said rod 35, the pin 43 or handle 44 is pushed upon by the occupants of the housing and the housing slides along the rod. iVhere one section is not long enough to completely clear the escapement housing, another section is connected to the first section, the pin 43 removed from the first section and. inserted in the next section, and the operation repeated. The pin 43 prevents the rod from falling from the opening 34 so that the rod normally serves as a closure for said opening.

As above indicated where the draining of the water from the chamber C into the vessel A would flood the vessel, an auxiliary tank 46 may be secured within the vessel adjacent the top thereof said tank being of sufiicient capacity to receive all. of the water from the chamber C. The water may be pumped from the chamber G into said tank through pipes 48 and 49 by any suitable pumping mechanism 47 which may be power operated or manually operated, or pneumatically lifted. The bottom of the tank 46 is connected by a valved pipe 50 with the chamber C so that when it is desired to eject an escapement hous ing, the valve in the pipe 50 is opened which permits the water to flow by gravity from the tank 46 into the chamber C. It is thus pos sible to repeatedly use the same water plus a small amount admitted through the opening 13 to balance the outside pressure, for ejecting the various escapement housings eX- cept the last, which of course will require that all water for ejecting the housing be admitted through the valves 14 and 15 from the sea,

' the valves to be operated by the occupants of "the last escapement housing before putting "on cover Preferably the sides of the escapement chamber C are formed with sight glasses 51,

by which conditions 011 the interior of the escapement chamber C may be viewed from within the vessel. It may also be desirable "to provide a balancingweight 52 on the bottom of each escapement housing to maintain the same in upright position in the water.

It is of course necessary to provide suitable air vent means such as thecheck valves to :admit air tothe chamber C while "the latter is being drained.

Also removable bufferrods 54 are provided to prevent the escapement housings catching under the covers 4 as the housings leave the chamber O.

While we have shown and described the now prefer-ed embodiment of our invention, it will be understood that this is primarily for the purpose of illustrating the principles of the invention and that many modificationsand ohanges may be made inthe details of construction without departing ttrom the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is;

1. Asubmarinevessel including a hull having an interior compartment, a water-tight chamber within the hull having an aperture leading to the exterior of the vessel and an opening leading from said compartment, a watertight closure for said aperture, a water-tight closure for said opening, a buoyant escapement housing within the said chamber comprising a lower body portion and a normally detached upper body portion, means for assembling said upper body portion to said lower body portion in a water-tight manner, means for admitting water to said chamber, means to eject said escapement housing through said aperture, and means for draining water from said chamber.

2. A submarine vessel including a hull having an interior compartment, a water-tight chamber wit-11in the hull having an aperture leading to the exterior of the vessel and an opening leading from said compartment, a water-tight closure for said aperture, a water-tight closure for said opening, a plurality of escapement housings within said chamber including a plurality of cup-shaped body portions arranged in nested relation, a corresponding number of nested inverted watertight cup-shaped separate covers for said body portions, means for admitting water to said chamber to eject said escapement housing through said aperture, and means for draining the water from said chamber.

3. The submarine vessel set forth in claim 2, wherein each of said housings has a normally open valved drain passage.

4. A submarine vessel including a hull having an interior compartment, a water-tight chamber within the hull having an aperture leading to the exterior of the vessel and an openin leading from said compartment, a water-tight closure for said aperture, a water-tight closure for said opening, a buoyant escapement housing within the said chamber com rising a lower body portion and a normal y detached upper body portion, means for assembling said upper body portion to said lower body portion in a water-tight manner, means for admitting water to said chamber to eject said escapement housing through said aperture, means for draining water from said chamber, said escapement housing having a packed opening therein, and a rod extending therethrough to engage a part fixed relatively to said housing whereby said hous- Lng may be manually ejected from said cham- 5. The combination with a submarine vessel having an escapement chamber, of a plurality of escapement housings normally stored within said chamber, each housing comprising a cup-shaped body and an inverted cup-shaped cover, all of said bodies and all of said covers being arranged in nested relation to each other respectively.

JOSEPH E. MARTIN. PERCIVAL A. MARTIN. 

